


Write It Again

by FallingT



Category: Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Antiva, Cynicism, Double language, Multi, Rialto, Sassy one-liners, Twins
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-02
Updated: 2016-07-17
Packaged: 2018-04-29 15:37:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 15,686
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5132924
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FallingT/pseuds/FallingT
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>'You suggested we should sneak into the temple in the middle of the night!' he yelled.<br/>'Yeah, but it was you who heard the screaming!' she countered.<br/>'And you run to check it out!'<br/>'And you thought that touching a creepy-looking glowing orb was a good idea!' </p><p>Dani hated snow, and now he was stuck in Haven. He loathed religion even more, and people went around kneeling and calling him "The Herald of Andraste". And what about the nasty green mark that had taken residence on his hand? UGH.<br/>Callisto hated religion as much as her brother did, and now she too was stuck with the Inquisition. Which basically was like the Chantry but with less Templars and a bit less Mages. Lucky her there was history in buckets, otherwise she might have left her twin to his destiny and run back to Rialto. Because, it's not like she could wiggle her fingers and close rifts as her brother did, right?<br/>Inquisition AU: everything is the same but the Herald of Andraste and the Inquisitor are twins! From Antiva! Plus some plot changes, because I can.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. CHAPTER ONE

‘Remind me again why we’re here, Calli.’ The man asked, a thick accent rolling off his tongue. The young woman walking next to him huffed and a cloud of cold puffed in front of her half hidden face.  
‘We are here because I wished to be present to an event that will, most likely, shape the outcome of the war and Thedas in general for the years to come.’ She answered, trying to bury herself in her furs even further.  
‘That’s why _you_ ’re here.’ He pointed out between gritted teeth.  
The woman huffed again.  
‘Mother wouldn’t let me go by myself, said I’d only be allowed if you’d come.’ She said, managing to whine about the stubbornness of her mother in the process.  
‘I’m not surprised…you’re basically a walking danger.’ The man snickered, earning himself a shove from his companion.  
‘I am _not_! I just have some problems with my balance!’ she retorted, trying to defend her pride.  
‘Your scarce balance, your poor eyesight, your ever-running mouth, your slow reflexes, your-‘ he was cut off by another shove, this time a bit more violent than the other.  
‘Hush! I’d like to remind you that half of my genes are the same as yours!’ she shot back. ‘Also, it’s not like you’re not gaining anything by being here. Uncle promised you a fair amount of money to be his personal guard, did he not?’ she eagerly pointed out in an accusatory voice.  
She was particularly bitter about it; she was the one that wanted to go and he the one getting paid, not fair!  
‘That he did.’ He said, his smile broad as he called to mind all the things he could have bought with that much money. ..  
‘Dani! Callisto!’ a new voice joined their conversation from ahead of them.  
Brother and sister lifted their heads to meet their Uncle.  
‘Yes? What is it?’ Callisto asked.  
‘We’re here. Haven.’ He announced, and the woman’s eyes shone with excitement.  
‘Really?! Can I go explore a little?’ she asked, looking at her uncle with pleading eyes.  
The man chuckled and allowed her to go running around.  
‘Try not to bother everyone, dear!’ he shouted to her back as she run towards the village’s entrance, though he was sure she probably didn’t even hear him, so absorbed in her surroundings as she already was.

Haven was white. And white was a colour she was not used to see, back at home.  
There was so much snow it was almost blinding! Fortunately there were so many people dressed in so many different ways that all the white was toned down a bit.  
Callisto scouted ahead of her group, taking in every detail of the scenery : outside the gates there were soldiers practicing with shields and swords, wearing green, brown and orange uniforms that she didn’t recognize – _why are there soldiers practicing, anyway?_ \- , while a man, that looked like he had killed the animal he was wearing over his armour, shouted something about using a shield properly. From the other side came the noises of horses and that of a smithy – _a smithy too? What for? Maybe the Orlesians are worried about their dresses!_ She giggled - . All was mixed together with the buzz of hundred of voices crossing each other in the fray, and the final result was overwhelming to Callisto’s senses. But all in all she felt _alive_ and full of energy, in fact she was barely restraining her enthusiasm!  
She was in _Haven_ , right in the thick of history! She was going to attend the Divine Conclave in the Temple of Sacred Ashes and see who and what was going to shape the future of the world!  
How exciting!  
With newly re-found anticipation, she sped up her pace, making her way through the crowd into the actual core of the village. It was a bit difficult to run around with all that people in one place, and her anxiety didn’t help either, but all was worth for history.

Dani was not impressed in the least by Haven.  
What was so exciting about a Maker forgotten shithole in the middle of the freezing mountains he could not say.  But of course Callisto had already disappeared on him, always so eager to explore and collect information about any new place they visited.  
 _And she’s the lazy one..._ he thought to himself, shaking his head and helping his uncle and his men unload their carriage.  
Soon after a man wearing a uniform and a banner he could not recognize, approached the group and saluted them with a fist on the heart and a nod.  
‘Welcome to Haven my Lords. This way if you please, I’ll show you were you can set up your tents.’ The young man said – he could not have been older than seventeen and had a particularly deep and frustrating Fereldan accent.  
Obediently, he followed the young soldier and his Uncle’s men and helped with the preparations of their small camp; just another in the midst of a sea of colourful tents.  
Soon after they were done, snow started to fall.  
‘I should not have let Calli drag me into this...’ he sighed to himself when he spotted the first flakes coming down a sky that was as white as the soil he was standing on.  
‘So much fucking snow...’ he grunted, definitely disgusted.  
Snow was gross, all that white and that cold, it was so wet...and it crunched! UGH.  
‘Hold on Dani, this will be over soon...’ he mumbled before he shot one last glance over his head and dubbed inside the tent.

 

‘Have you seen what a good job they have done in the Temple?’ Callisto asked.  
Dani grunted in response.  
‘Oh how would I’ve loved to be here when the Hero found it for the first time!’ she went on ranting.  
‘Oh yeah, with all those cultists that you could have talked to death!’ her brother mocked her.  
Calli scoffed.  
‘At least, I can appreciate the work of art this place is’ she grumbled, crossing her arms and lifting her head to watch the ceiling.  
‘I'm here to protect you from yourself, not for admiring the view.’ He said, and marked his words by taking her from one arm and pulling her to his side to save her from a corner she had seemed so intent to cut with her whole face.  
‘And if you go on like this, this temple will have a pretty nasty stamp of your face too, together with all these fancy Chantry paintings.’ He added.  
‘They are rather pompous, aren’t they?’ she laughed, stopping right in front of one particularly detailed painting of some Cleric whose name had probably been lost in time.  
‘This one was probably Orlesian, look how pretentious it is!’ she snickered, making faces at it to imitate the stiff pose the subject had been represented in.  
Dani watched his sister making fun of the crappy Chantry cleric and soon joined her laugh.  
How could someone who was so full of pride over her own intelligence act like such a fool all the time?  
She was hilarious.  
They were still giggling between themselves when they heard it.  
A scream cut through the silence of the Temple.  
Brother and sister looked at each other and hesitated for a couple seconds.  
‘We should check it out...maybe someone’s in danger...’ Callisto suggested.  
‘Calli, I don’t have my sword! And you don’t know how to fight! What can we do?’  
Her head started to spin.  
‘We should go get the guards!’  
‘Not an option! Should I remind you that we sneaked in here without permission?!’  
Callisto was about to object to her brother when another scream reached them.  
‘Someone! Help me!’ the voice cried out in pain.  
That was it.  
Calli took her chances and raced towards the voice and, obviously, Dani followed.  
Whatever was going on in that room was bound to remain a mystery, though, as when they both woke up, every memory of it had been erased from their minds.

 

 


	2. CHAPTER 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From here on I will obviously start to play with the plot.   
> A thing that had always annoyed me, is that both in canon and in the fanfictions, the Herlad is always (or almost) a skilled fighter. So what happens when it isn't? Here we have one out of two, hopefully I can make things a little bit more interesting.   
> Also, I'd like to point out that in this particular verse of canon there will be a lot of spoken antivan, which I interpreted this way: Antiva is usually based on either Spain or Italy, in my mind it is based on both and the language spoken depends on which city one is from. My OCs are from Rialto, meaning they will be speaking italian (or antivan). But fear not, there will be translations!  
> Here they are:   
> Stai bene? – Are you ok?  
> Sto bene, non ti preoccupare – I’m fine, don’t worry.   
> Dannazione – Damn it.  
> Fantastico –Great.  
> Grazie – Thanks.  
> O almeno spero – Or at least I hope.  
> (they are in order of appearance btw)

‘Tell me why we shouldn’t kill you now!’ the Seeker demanded, approaching Dani with frightening speed. Callisto winced as she watched her brother’s face, so helpless and confused and possibly scared of what was happening. She bit her lips when the other woman yanked his shackles, angry about such brute and useless ways; she knew he couldn’t tell them more than she had a week before...  
A shiver run through her spine as the memories of her awakening flooded the eye of her mind...it was difficult to forget the shock of waking up with the absence of any recent memories – all she could recall was her arrival in Haven – just to be told that the Conclave had been destroyed and she, with another, were the only survivors. And, oh yeah, there was also a giant fucking hole in the Veil that kept growing all the while spitting demons like it was rain...  
 _Terrific_.  
From then, the days had passed in a frenzy. She was a prisoner and thus she was not allowed to leave the room she’d been put in, meaning she had had no way to know anything until the Seeker had shown up telling her that the other survivor was out of danger.  
 _We need you to come and see if you can recognise him,_ she’d told her.  
The moment she had seen her brother, laying on a cold stone floor, was the moment Callisto had refused to move from there.  
The time until he’d woken up, she had spent worrying over him, not even stopping for a second to consider how and why they had survived when no one other had.  
But now, as she watched the Left and Right Hand of the Divine interrogating Dani about the green mark on his hand, she started to fidget.  
She needed answers, answer that the Chantry obviously did not have.  
‘Go to the forward camp Leliana, I’ll bring the prisoners.’  
Sister Leliana disappeared out the door, and Callisto realised she had missed out on the entire thing.  
‘Prisoner _s_?!’ she heard Dani say, at which she hurried to move in his visual, making herself known.  
‘Calli!’ he yelped, his voice broken in a way she’d never heard before.  
The two of them exchanged a hug, or tried to since his wrists were still bound.  
‘Your sister has survived as you did, though she does not possess the mark you have.’ The Seeker explained while she escorted them through the dungeons.  
Dani anxiously examined his sister from head to toe to make sure she really was alive and in one piece.  
‘Stai bene?’ he asked, common momentarily forgotten as worry flooded his mind.  
‘Sto bene, non ti preoccupare.’ She replied, automatically switching to their first tongue upon hearing him speaking it.  
She was about to go on speaking when she noticed the suspicious glare their capturer threw at them. Well, of course she’d be wary of them speaking in a foreign language, maybe they were indeed plotting the demise of the Chantry!  
Callisto bit back a chuckle.  
‘I’m fine Dani, as much as anyone can be in this kind of situation. I’m more worried about your glowing hand than myself…’ she grimaced, glancing at his hand.  
He sighed and followed her eyes.  
‘It hurts like shit.’  
They kept talking as they walked behind the Seeker – Cassandra, Right Hand of the Divine – and reached the exit of the blasted Chantry.  
As they stepped outside, Callisto shielded her eyes from the greenish light of the Breach. Since waking up her eyes had been even more sensitive than usual and her eyesight a little worse, making it impossible for her to stare at the sky for long.  
Next to her she heard Dani gasping in surprise at the Breach in the sky, but when she turned to face him and watch his reaction, she noticed he was instead staring right at her.  
She frowned.  
‘Why are you looking at me like that? The hole is in the sky, not on my face.’ Callisto muttered, crossing her arms.  
‘Your eyes, Calli…they’re… _green_!’ he pointed out with an high pitched voice.  
Her frown deepened.  
‘Did you hit your head too??’  
Dani was about to drag her somewhere with a mirror when Cassandra noted the commotion behind her and came back to them.  
‘Is there a problem?’ she asked, composed but definitely annoyed by their bickering.  
‘Her eyes are _green_!’ Dani repeated, pointing at his sister’s face.  
Cassandra followed his finger and looked right at Callisto’s face.  
‘Yes, and?’  
The girl froze.  
 _What?!  
_ ‘What do you mean “yes, and?”? Calli’s eyes are brown, _dannazione,_ **brown**!’ he almost shouted.  
'Whatever happened to your sister's eyes, I'm sure Solas will know. First we have to reach him, once we get to the forward camp we will decide what to do.' Cassandra explained, not very subtly,  trying to get them to move out.

Turned out this _Solas_ \- a name that made Callisto speculate about its owner - was not easy to reach. Dani was feeling weaker by the minute because of the Breach's influence on the mark, and of course _demons_ had to be part of their little trip as well.  
They were crossing a bridge when a ball of green fire had the unfortunate timing of crashing on it, making them all go tumbling on the ice below.  
'Ouch. That fucking hurt.' She whined, talking to herself as per usual. When she focused back on the other two, she noted that the Seeker was battling a Shade along with her brother-  
 _Did he really just found a sword and a shield lying around?!_ She thought, amazed by the sudden burst of luck Dani had just had.  
'Well he's either really lucky, or the Maker has a really twisted sense of humor.' She scoffed, just to be interrupted by the appearance of a second Shade. This one took a little time to itself before deciding that the best thing to do, was avoid the two warriors with the big scary swords and instead go after the poor unarmed girl that just wanted to be anywhere but there.  
'Aaand that would be me!' She muttered, frantically looking for a weapon of any kind that she could use. The only thing near enough for her to grab was a staff.  
A _staff_!  
Not daggers, or a short sword, or even arrows alone.  
A bloody stuff!  
And a plain one at that! It was just a freaking stick!  
' _Fantastico._ ' She groaned, making herself fall in a defensive stance. Good thing she _had_ learned something from Dani, after all.  
The demon approached quite quickly as Callisto pulled the staff over her head and, at the right time, swung it down on its head. The shadow let out a shriek, more angered than hurt, and rushed forward to slash at her with its horrible claws. Calli brought the staff in front of her, putting it directly between her and the demon. The attack landed on the staff and missed Callisto by mere inches.  
Just when she was frantically thinking about what to do next, the shadow disappeared from her sight.  
She blinked several times, her body still in a defense stance, her arms outstretched with the staff still in her hands.  
It took her the better part of a minute to understand.  
Cassandra had bashed it away with her shield, and now Dani was finishing it off.  
'Grazie.' She breathed out once the situation had been handled.  
No one answered.  
Cassandra was pointing her sword - her _big,_ **big** sword - at them.  
'Drop your weapons.' She demanded, obviously wary of both of them.  
Though it was probably only Dani.  
After several seconds of tense silence, her brother let out a sigh, and sword and shield landed on the snow with a dull thud.  
When the silence stretched on, Callisto started to feel nervous. Why was Cassandra saying nothing? Did she not trust them? They were prisoners but-  
'You too _mage_ , drop your staff.' The Seeker pressed.  
At first Callisto wondered who Cassandra was speaking to, then she glanced down at her right hand that was still clutching the "weapon".  
'Ah! You are mistaken Seeker, I am no mage, I assure you. I just happened to find this in the rubble when I was looking for something to defend myself with.' Callisto paused, giving a sheepish smile. 'I also like to hit things with it.' She added, and her smile widened.  
Cassandra looked at her with raised eyebrows and confusion flashed on her face. Then she gave what Calli interpreted as a disgusted noise.  
'Hold on to those weapons. There is danger further ahead, and I can't protect both of you.' She sighed, talking to Dani.  
Her brother smiled a somewhat sorry smile and took sword and shield back.

The group somehow managed its way through some more Shades and some weird green things that Calli identified as Wisps. When they finally heard the noises of battle, Dani was almost too tired to even grip his sword properly.  
'Hang in there Dani. We're probably almost done...O almeno spero.' Callisto told him, jogging up to him and offering a sympathetic smile.  
'Up ahead! There's fighting!' Cassandra shouted, trying to be heard over the sounds of battle.  
'Who's fighting?' Callisto asked, but they were already rounding the corner and an answer was given without words.  
Dani took a second to assess who and what was occupying the field: There were two soldiers with maces, an elven mage and a dwarf firing a very peculiar crossbow.  
A second later the Seeker joined the fray and Dani followed suit, ignorant of the pulsing and shifting green _thing_ that was floating over their heads.  
Callisto, though, did not miss it.  
Her eyes seemed unable to focus on anything else but that, following its every moment.  
 _Pulsing, shifting, calling me...  
_ She took a step. Then another. And another again.  
Soon enough she was entering the fray, unarmed and seemingly unafraid. All that matter was the green light...  
'Calli! Watch out!'  
Dani's shout was just another noise in the background...she had to reach the light...  
A sudden crack roared in her head, and soon she was falling on the ground.  
Her brother did not even stopp to consider what he had just done - or better, what the elf had done with his hand -, he immediately rushed to his sister side, kneeling next to her to make sure she was ok.  
'It worked.' Callisto heard the Seeker say over the splitting headache that had suddenly exploded in her head.  
'What did?' She asked, waving Dani away to make him stop fussing over her.  
'The mark on your brother's hand successfully managed to close the rift.' The elf spoke, offering an explanation that sadly went over her head.  
'Uh. Did you have doubts?' Calli went on, her eyes attentive to the man every move.  
'I like this one!' A gruff voice said somewhere behind her.  
Callisto turned around and was faced – so to speak – with a scruffy looking dwarf that looked awfully familiar. She gave him a quick glance before she smiled.  
‘Ah! If it isn’t the infamous Varric Tethras. I’d never picture you for a Chantry boy, serrah.’ She said, flashing a self-satisfactory smile.  
'See Seeker? My fame always precedes me.' He chuckled, winking at Cassandra. The woman barely spared him a glance and another disgusted noise.  
'Was that a joke?' The elf joined in, commenting on her statement with a chuckle.  
Callisto smirked.  
'Thing is, I'm a prisoner just like you two.' He replied, at which the female warrior scoffed.  
'You're not a prisoner, _Varric._ I brought you here to tell your story to the Divine. Evidently, that's no longer necessary.' She said, glaring at him.  
'My name is Solas, if there are to be introductions.' The elven mage said, immediately picking up the conversation.  
'Ah yes, _Solas_. Andaran atish'an.' Callisto replied, lightly bowing her head.  
Solas' brows shot up in surprise.  
'You speak elven.' He said, obviously caught off guard by a shem speaking his tongue.  
'Between other things, yes.'  
Dani, that had watched the whole exchange without muttering a single word, suddenly spoke up.  
'It's a pleasure and all that, but can someone explain to me what the hell did just happen!' He almost shouted out, his hand gripping tightly on the sword's handle.  
Four heads turned to him in a matter of seconds.  
'I believe that whatever caused the explosion, also cast that mark upon your hand. I was not sure, but there was a possibility that the mark could be used to close the rifts. I was correct.' Solas calmly explained.  
Dani looked at his left hand intensely, trying to understand the elf's words.  
After a very long and very intense silence, he finally spoke again.  
'Ok. Maybe I understand this, - he said, holding out the incriminated hand - but what about her?' Dani went on, pointing at his sister with the same hand.  
Callisto immediately felt every eye on her. Was it really necessary to point all the attention on her? She didn't have anything wrong...  
'Is there something wrong?' Solas inquired, mildly confused by the question.  
'Not rea-'  
'Her eyes are supposed to be _brown_! And didn't any of you notice she was walking toward the rift while we were fighting? She looked like she was in a trance!' He pointed out, making Calli shift uncomfortably under the attention.  
Solas seemed to weight Dani's words for a while before he turned back to Callisto.  
'May I?' He asked her, though did not wait for an answer. He walked up to her and swiftly lifted her chin up to have a better visual of her eyes.  
Callisto tensed immediately for many different reasons, forcing herself not to flinch away at the sudden contact.  
For starter, she loathed any unnecessary invasion of her personal space; and the fact that Solas pretty much filled out her standards in fact of attractiveness in men wasn't helping either.  
She also couldn't help herself from wondering what those lithe fingers could do, if put to use-  
'I understand you are siblings, correct?' The mage asked, and his warm breath brushed against Callisto flushed skin.  
 _Right. Let's focus.  
_ 'Uhm, twins actually.' She replied, her voice slightly more insecure than she would have liked.  
'Fascinating.' He commented.  
And _oh holy Andraste_ the look in his eyes when he said that! Callisto could simultaneously feel her discomfort and her arousal grow in equal parts.  
 _'Talk about improper thoughts...'_ She muttered, but her words - spoken more to herself than anything, did not go unnoticed.  
The smirk on his lips broke her last piece of resistance.  
‘What is fascinating?’ she asked, finally stepping back and out of the man’s touch.  
Solas’ arm fall back to his side, but his eyes never left hers.  
His hand wasn’t there anymore, but she could still feel it…  
‘I do not have an answer as to why – or how – you and your brother survived the explosion, but it’s likely that whatever put that mark on his hand, also affected your eyes in the process. Maybe the breach influences you in other ways…’ he wandered off, unable to provide a more solid explanation to her brother’s concerns.  
‘Whichever the case, we will investigate once we’ve managed to close the breach.’ Cassandra intervened, bringing them all back to the task at hand.  
‘Yes. For the moment we shall keep our doubts. And Seeker, you should know: the magic involved here is unlike I have seen. Your prisoners are no mages. Indeed I find it difficult to imagine _any_ mage having such power.’  
‘Understood.’  
‘If you’re not a mage, then why do you go around with a staff in hand?’ Varric pointed out, gesturing to the weapon she was still clutching in one hand.  
‘Ah, yes well I-‘  
Callisto was interrupted by her brother before she could say anything more.  
‘She likes hitting things with it.’ He said, giving the dwarf a strange look she could not quite place. ‘Don’t ask.’ He immediately added, noticing the fairly amused look on Varric’s face.

The trek from there to the forward camp took definitely less time; four people fighting out of five was an improvement, and the group moved rapidly through the demons that blocked their path.  
Another rift was successfully closed right before the gates, and the party entered the makeshift camp just in time to assist to an heated argument between Leliana and what looked like a cleric.  
‘Chancellor, these are-‘ Leliana began, just to be interrupted abruptly by the same man.  
‘I know who they are. – he deadpanned, glaring daggers at the twins that were standing side by side, both wearing unreadable expressions. – I want them chained and transferred to Val Royeaux to face execution!’  
A hint o panic made itself known in Callisto’s chest. She did not know how much power the man held over Cassandra or Leliana, and she certainly did not like the idea of being executed for a crime she most certainly hadn’t committed.  
‘Well, that escalated quickly…’ she muttered, trying to cover up her fear.  
Her brother reached for her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze to reassure her.  
‘You _order_ me?’ Cassandra snarled in disbelief. ‘You are a glorified clerk! A _bureaucrat_!’ she added viciously.  
 _One point for team Seeker_ , Calli thought, amused.  
‘And you are thug! But a thug that supposedly serves the Chantry!’ the Chancellor spat back, and she could clearly see Cassandra’s anger grow: her jaw was tense and her hands were curled in fists. She was sure that, given the opportunity, the Seeker would not hesitate to hit him hard and square on the face.  
‘We serve the Most Holy, Chancellor, as you well know.’ Leliana intercepted before the situation could slip out of hand.  
‘Justinia is _dead_! We have to elect a replacement and obey her directives on the matter!’ the grumpy Chancellor barked back at the woman.  
Now even Leliana seemed on the brick of hitting the man.  
Not a good sign.  
‘The Breach hangs on your head and all you can do is argue about petty details. Classic.’ Dani scoffed next to her, making her smirk.  
Neither her or her brother had a very high opinion of the Chantry, and the Chancellor was definitely not helping his case.  
‘How dare you!’  
‘The prisoner is right. We have more urgent matters to attend to.’ Cassandra said, putting the Chantry man down.  
‘You are losing your time Seeker! Abandon this madness before it’s too late!’ he tried again, shouting in their faces.  
As on cue, the breach roared over their heads, exploding in another wave of green light that almost immediately affected the twins.  
Dani clenched his teeth as pain shot from his hand throughout his whole body, the mark lighting up as the breach had done only seconds before, and Callisto shut her eyes closed, her headache pounding ten times stronger now.  
‘It’s already too late.’ Callisto barely heard Leliana speak over the noise in her own head.  
‘We have to move now. Our soldiers cannot endure this for much longer.’ Cassandra added. ‘We can go straight for the temple, this way we won’t waste anymore time.’  
‘Or our forces can charge as a distraction while we go through the mountains.’ The Sister said, pointing up with a finger.  
‘It’s too risky! We’ve lost contact with an entire squad on that path!’ Cassandra retorted.  
After a split second of silence, Leliana turned towards the twins.  
The worst of the pain had washed over them, but they were both still suffering from it.  
‘Maybe we should ask them’ she stated.  
As all eyes turned once more to them, Callisto felt the uneasiness of attention prickle her skin.  
‘I’m afraid I’m no tactician – Dani grimaced - , but perhaps you can help?’  
It took her several moments to figure out that her brother was, in fact, talking to her.  
‘Me?’ she asked incredulously, eyes wide in surprise.  
 _I have an half-assed knowledge of a lot of things, sure, but this?!  
_ When no one seemed intentioned of letting her off the hook, she sighed and tried to reason it out.  
If they charged directly there was an high risk of losing people in the process, but if they went through the mountain then they’d lose time.  
What would weight more on their shoulders?  
‘I guess that going through the mountain path makes more sense. There might also be a chance to find out what happened to that missing squad…’ she explained tentatively, not in the least sure of any of the things she just said.  
But all in all they seemed satisfied by her choice.  
‘Very well then. We’ll head out immediately.’ The Seeker announced dismissing the Chancellor and moving on to check on her equipment.  
Varric and Solas quietly followed her.  
When Dani went to move and Callisto did not, he turned to her with questioning eyes.  
‘It’s better if I wait down here, Dani. I’m no fighter, I do not wish to slow you down or to get killed in the process.’  She grimaced.  
Her brother reached out to her and pulled her in to a tight hug.  
‘I’ll be back. Promesso.’ He whispered in her ear before letting go of her.  
Callisto smiled, swallowing the lump of worry that had formed in her throat, and watching Dani’s back go.  
‘Be careful!’ she shouted after him.  
Her twin brother nodded his head and smiled.  
One last glance and he was gone.  
 _And now we wait…_ she thought, looking around for some place to settle herself in.

She couldn’t say with certainty how long she had been sitting on that crate, but at some point a raging roar cut through the air and her head started to spin.  
She could feel her eyes burning, a pain never felt before that hit her so hard she couldn’t avoid the scream that escaped her lungs.  
And then, as it had appeared, the pain was gone.  
A white, dull feeling was all it left behind before darkness swallowed her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another thing before you go: this story will not be updated regularly, but I sure will not abandon it.   
> Also the chapters will always be about 3-4k words, so that I can make up for the supposedly long time between updates.


	3. CHAPTER 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations:  
> Va bene! – Fine!  
> Hai finito? – Are you done?  
> Stai attento per favore, ti rivoglio indietro con tutti i pezzi attaccati. Ti voglio bene. – Please, be careful, I want you back in one piece. Love you.

‘I’m sorry, I didn’t quite catch that.’ Dani muttered, shooting a stern glance to Leliana over the table.  
‘I _said_ , that the people has started referring to you as the “Herald of Andraste”.’ The Nightingale repeated, just the tiny bit annoyed by it.  
‘And just how am _I_ the _Herald of Andraste_?’ he asked once more, definitely not comfortable with the thought.  
‘They saw what you did at the Breach, they believe you were chosen by Andraste herself to save us.’ Cassandra answered with a serious tone that led him to believe that she, too, was of the same idea.  
‘It’s quite the title, isn’t it? – Commander Cullen snickered from the other side of the room, giving back the same amount of sass Dani had pulled just minutes before. – How do you feel about it?’  
Dani took some time to answer the question, searching for the right words.  
‘In all honesty? It makes me sick. I do not like to be so closely associated with the Chantry.’ He said bluntly, receiving a couple of piercing and kind of intimidating glares from the two women standing at his left.  
‘Well, no offence.’ He added, shrugging it off.  
‘None taken.’ Cassandra bit back bitterly.  
It looked like the woman was far more into the whole _“let’s believe an entity never before seen controls our lives”_ thing than he had initially predicted; that said, he remembered Callisto telling him something about these two being respectively the Right and Left hands of the Divine so…  
‘Listen, where I come from, the Chantry is as corrupted as any other organization. You cannot imagine how high the count of mothers, clerics, and what else, that hire assassins or end up assassinated is. I think half the Crows’ contracts and money come directly from the Chantry…’ he trailed off, squaring his shoulders and crossing his arms.  
If they wanted to go on play pretend, thinking that the Chantry was made up of only goodhearted and charitable people, that wasn’t his problem.  
‘Well, that is certainly one crude way to put it…’ Josephine tried to sweet-coat his words, ever the Ambassador, but Dani would not give them all the illusion they seemed to hold so dearly.  
‘With all due respect, Lady Montilyet, if you deny my words, then you must have a really vague memory of our country.’ He told her in the most respectful way he could find.  
Dani was not one to be rude, but sometimes his honesty was bound to offend some people, and he couldn’t avoid it.  
The Lady Ambassador seemed a bit taken aback by his statement, but soon recovered her façade, hiding her feelings behind it.  
‘Whichever the case, the rumor has already spread.’ Leliana assessed.  
‘And we haven’t tried to stop it.’ Cassandra added, making Dani frown even harder, if that was possible.  
‘Yes, and we can use it to our advantage. The Inquisition has been declared heretical, Chancellor Roderick’s doing, no doubt, and we need all the propaganda we can get. Meaning we need you.’ Leliana declared, her eyes never leaving Dani for one second.  
Her whole figure burned with determination, and if Dani hadn’t already agreed to help their cause, that single stare would have dissuaded him to.  
‘It’ll take time getting used to, I wager…’ he sighed, giving in on the argument. ‘But I swear I will punch whoever started it, if I find them…’ he muttered, earning a chuckle from Cullen and an amused grunt from Cassandra.  
‘Good! Now, if I could direct your attention to the war table, there is a matter we would like you to attend to.’ Josephine announced, gathering their attention and finally starting the meeting as it should have been.

'Are you sure you don't want me to check your eyes? I believe that with some time to research your condition I could-  
'Ma serannas Solas, but I'm sure. Whatever caused my eyes to change color does not seem to affect my health.' Calli insisted, once more turning down the help that the mage had kindly offered.  
To be honest, she wasn't particularly at ease near him, and the fact that he could probably burn her to death with a simple gesture wasn't the main reason for it.  
He was... _unnerving_.  
Callisto had always liked to think of herself as a person capable to read others, yet Solas' stoicism was something she couldn't get behind.  
And if she didn't know, she didn't trust.   
Oh yes, there was also the fact that the elf was one fine piece of a-  
'Is everything alright here?' Dani's voice broke through her thoughts, shifting her attention on his presence.  
She was happy to see him up and around, she'd been worried sick again when he didn't woke up past the twenty four hours! This time around, though, the healers had reassured her that her brother was merely resting and sleeping it off, his life wasn't in danger.  
'I was offering your sister my help regarding her eyes.' Solas explained in that odd calmness that was his.  
'But she thinks it unnecessary.' He concluded, turning his knowing glance on her.  
 _Sneaky elf..._ she cussed in her mind, puffing and pouting as her twin regarded her with a stern look of disapproval.  
'You should not take it lightly, Calli. This mark, the breach, whatever put it all in motion, these aren't things you can ignore until they go away! For once stop being a stubborn mule and let him help!' He reprehended her,  
giving her one of his famous speeches he so loved.  
Callisto head was fuming, she hated when Dani treated her like a child! She was an adult, she knew how to take care of herself and would not let anyone tell her how to live her life!  
'Ok, va bene! Just drop it alright?' She huffed, crossing her arms in a defensive stance.  
'Will you take care of her even if she refuses, please?' Her brother pleaded the mage with a sigh, hoping that his curiosity would outmatch his sister's bad attitude.  
'I will if she lets me. I do not wish to upset her with my prying.' He stated diplomatically, probably not ready to intercede for either of them so early on their acquaintance.  
'I already said it's ok, stop nagging me.' She spoke for herself, regarding Dani with a look of annoyance.  
She loved her twin, but every time he tried to act the part of the big brother she felt the need to smash something on his head. They already had one, a irksome, self-preoccupied, and awfully righteous elder brother, why couldn't he just act like her equal instead of always feeling the need to shield her?  
‘At any rate, did you need me for something, Herald?’ Solas inquired, as the previous argument was settled with.  
Dani couldn’t help but grimace as the elf referred to him with the dreaded title.  
‘Please, no.’ he staggered, trying to suppress the urge of hitting something.  
‘ _Herald_?’ Callisto said, quirking an eyebrow.  
‘Did you not hear it? The people has started to refer to your brother as the _Herald of Andraste_.’ S-olas explained, matter-of-factly.  
At that, the young woman couldn’t avoid the laugh that violently left her lungs.  
She knew well how much Dani loved the Chantry, and it’s a sentiment she too shared, which was why she found the whole situation highly entertaining.  
‘There’s nothing funny about it!’ Dani tried to defend his wounded pride from his twin’s mockery.  
‘Maybe not Brother! But the irony!’ she laughed, barely able to put a word after the other. ‘You can’t certainly deny that this is pretty fucked up!’ she went on, giggling as if there was no tomorrow.  
Dani silently watched as Callisto laughed his misfortune until the end, waiting for her to shut up and let him talk business with the mage.  
After a few more seconds the woman calmed down, straightening and drying the tears on her cheeks with the sleeves of her new fuzzy coat.  
‘Hai finito?’ he asked, tapping his foot impatiently on the snow.  
‘Yup.’ She simply replied, as nothing had ever happened.  
‘Pardon her, Solas. She has a very twisted sense of humor.’ Dani sighed, almost exasperated.  
At that, Callisto almost saw the shadow of a smile touch the man’s lips, but as quickly as it had appeared, it was gone.  
‘Anyway…I did came here for a reason. I was just informed that we are to leave for the Hinterlands in a day, if you would join us.’ Dani finally managed to explain to the other man.  
Cassandra had thankfully accepted the compromise of one more day to get ready, so now they could actually prepare themselves instead of being thrown head first into chaos without any forewarning.  
‘Ah, thank you. I most certainly  will.’ Solas replied with a nod.  
‘Perfect. I’m going to speak with Varric, then.’ He announced, shooting one last glance that meant business at his sister, and he was off, disappearing inside the Tavern soon after.  
As the door closed behind him, Callisto let go of a sigh.  
She couldn’t say what disturbed her most; the fact that Dani had basically taken charge once more, or the fact that he was leaving to go in the heart of the fights between the rebels and she could not follow.  
‘You needn’t worry for your brother. He’s a skilled warrior, able to take care of himself.’ Solas said, interjecting her thoughts without the need for her to voice them.  
Which made her a bit uneasy…  
‘I know he will, but still…’ she trailed off, not really in the mood to keep this conversation in particular going.  
Silence stretched on, neither of them sure on how to proceed.  
'It seems your brother does not hold much faith in the Chantry.' Solas observed, turning to face the stubborn woman once more as if asking for a confirmation.  
'A sentiment we both share.' Callisto scoffed, her thoughts wandering.  
The elf seemed a bit surprised by her words, it probably wasn't a everyday thing that humans went around openly announcing their distaste towards the Chantry, she imagined.  
'That is...interesting.' He concluded, as if he had analyzed the situation and had finally come to a satisfying conclusion.

The Hinterlands.  
 _What a nice place, truly..._ Dani mentally scoffed for like the thousand time in three days.  
What was supposed to be a quick hit and run to get Mother Giselle had soon twisted in a desperate trip through the whole damn place to do errands for every single person that asked. Not that he was so heartless to deny a man the cure for his wife, or to leave those poor refuges without a thing to eat, but three days of running around for meaningless affairs were slowly gritting on his nerves.  
And not only did they have to run from one side to the other, but they also had to do it while fighting their way through rouge Templars and crazed apostates...  
At least he could enjoy the fighting.  
'Your Worship, a letter has arrived for you.' A scout announced, making his way to him.  
With a polite nod he accepted the piece of paper and dismissed him.  
A sigh of relief left him when he noticed the ordinate calligraphy on the letter.  
" _Dear Brother,  
_ _Are you having fun recruiting Chantry Mothers and beating up the bad guys?  
_ Dani scoffed,  not amused by his twin's sense of humor.  
 _It's already been a week since you left and I think I've already read every book in this place that has something history related in it, which aren't many since most of them talk about Chantry shit.  
_ Here he chuckled, imagining the annoyed expression on her face as she was writing this.  
 _No one here seems to pay much attention to me, and I do not know them well enough to go around bothering them with questions...I tried to speak with the Ambassador, Lady Montilyet, about home, but I think she has a way too "rich-fogged" vision of it...  
_ On that he had to agree with Calli, the Inquisition's Ambassador had a way too pretty picture of Antiva in mind, which clashed a lot with what they knew for them to appreciat it.  
 _I also tried to convince the Commander to give me a couple of his men to accompany me to the Breach, so that I could examine it and report historically correct and religion-free facts about it, but he stubbornly refused to give them up. So I asked if he would come with me. He refused. Ugh. What a waste of time and anxiety..  
_ He took a second to make a mental note to thank the man and his stubbornness. He had a feeling that, left to her own devices, she would do something stupid.  
 _But anyway, since you're not here to nag me and prevent me for doing something stupid, I'll probably sneak out at night and go see by myself.  
_ His breath caught midway through his throat, sending him in a fit of coughing.  
Was she really going to do it? Had she _already_ done it? Why did she have to be so reckless at times!  
Callisto was a strong opinionated person, she loved history and accurate facts, she disliked ignorance and was a very careful person when faced with sensitive matters. Maybe she had a problem with anxiety and keeping her thoughts to herself, but all around she was a very responsible young woman...  
'Then why the hell are you so damn stupid!' He all but yelled at the piece of paper he was holding in his hands, making a couple heads turn in his direction.  
With a sigh, he went on reading.  
 _I believe that by the time you'll be back, I'll be mortally bored.  
_ _And do bring Varric and Solas back alive, please. At least I can enjoy their company.  
_ _Best of luck,  
_ _Your favorite sister.  
_ _P.S.: Stai attento per favore, ti rivoglio indietro con tutti i pezzi attaccati._ __Ti voglio bene. "  


‘Is everything alright Birdie? You seemed pretty upset earlier.’ Varric asked some time later while they were sitting down by the fire.  
Dani had decided that the stupid nickname given to him by the dwarf after noticing the tattoo on his bicep was definitely better than being called _Herald_ or _Your Worship_ , and had therefore not complained once about it.  
‘It’s Callisto. She’s getting bored in Haven and has decided she wants to go _examine_ the Breach so that she can _report historically accurate and religion-free facts_ , or so she said.’ Dani explained with a sigh, showing the dwarf the incriminated piece of paper.  
Varric scammed it quickly and gave it back.  
‘Your sister is kind of crazy, you know? Do you really think she’d do something like that?’  
He sounded almost amused by it all, as if he was convinced that Calli would not attempt such a fit. Evidently, he still didn’t know her well.  
‘When she was just sixteen she tried to infiltrate the Circle Tower back in Rialto to, and I quote literally, _find out about the real conditions of Mages and prove the Chantry wrong_. So yeah, I really think she’d do it in the name of _accuracy_.’ Dani concluded, noting his companion expression go from amused, to shocked, to impressed and then straight to concern.  
‘The most worrying part is that she managed to stay hidden in there for almost a week! Then the Templars found her and brought her home without any punishment, though our parents weren’t so lenient about it…’ he recalled, a smile gracing his lips as he remembered the huge satisfied grin on his sister’s face when she was escorted home by the two Knights.  
‘Well, now I’m impressed.’ Varric laughed ‘But I’m fairly certain you can rest easy, Birdie. I doubt the Nightingale will allow her to leave just like that in the middle of the night.’ He explained, fairly sure that, even if the girl thought she could go around unnoticed, the Spymaster had her eyes on her.  
‘If you say so. In the mean time I sent back word to keep an eye on her, regardless.’ Dani admitted, feeling a little be reassured by the idea.

In the end, it took them a whole two weeks to clear out the situation in the Hinterlands.  
They had fought possessed wolves, built watchtowers, closed rifts, cleared out both the Templars and the Apostates’ camps, helped the refuges and even returned a lost druffalo; Dani had had enough of the Hinterlands to last not one, but two lifetimes.  
He was so tired of it, in fact, that even the snow he loathed so much was a welcome sight compared to the past weeks.  
As he dismounted his horse, he caught sight of the Commander in the training grounds, and decided to stop by before heading inside to look for Callisto.  
Cullen saw him coming and saluted him with a polite nod as he approached.  
‘I heard the situation on the Hinterlands was more dire than we had anticipated.’ The Commander commented, acknowledging the status of Dani’s new armor and weapons.  
‘Please, I don’t want to hear a thing about the place for at list the next fortnight.’ He groaned, brushing a hand trough his flattened hair, reviving it.  
Cullen chuckled, fully understanding the other man state of mind.  
‘Anyway, before it slips my mind, I wanted to apologize on behalf of my sister. She told me she tried to have _you_ accompany _her_ to the Breach…’ he trailed off, mentally hoping to actually find her somewhere inside, unharmed and possibly not plotting an escape.  
‘That she did. I told her it was too dangerous to go up there for the moment, but I fear she did not listen to me.’ Cullen stated apologetically.  
‘Yeah, I gathered that much… - he trailed off – I better get going then, Maker knows what trouble she’s found this time…’ he grumbled, saluting the Commander and marching quickly through the gates.  
The first place he checked was their cabin, which was empty.  
Then he passed both Varric’s fire and Solas’ cabin, but there was no trace of her.  
The tavern was empty save from a couple pilgrims.  
He walked to the Chantry, hoping to find her immersed in some tome or snooping around the War Table, but she was nowhere to be found.  
With a raising sense of danger, he knocked on the Ambassador’s door.  
‘Oh Herald! How was the journey?’ she asked politely as he came in.  
‘Everything was good, thank you. Have you seen my sister? I can’t seem to find her anywhere.’ At this point he was frantic, panic taking over him.  
He usually wouldn’t be this much concerned over her whereabouts, but after that letter it was hard not worry.  
‘Ah, now that I think about it, I haven’t seen Lady Callisto in quite a while…’ Josephine reasoned, trying to think when exactly she had seen her the last time.  
Dani swore under his breath and went to leave; he was with a foot already out the door when she called out to him.  
‘Speak with Leliana, I am sure she knows where your sister is!’  
He nodded his thanks and quickly crossed the hall, barely keeping himself from running out.  
Fortunately for him, Leliana was just outside, talking with one of her scout (or was it a spy?) under one of the tents.  
‘Is there something I can do for you, _Herald_?’ Leliana asked as he noticed his frantic approach. Dani didn’t have the time to register how much she had marked the title, in that moment he couldn’t care less of her own private entertainment.  
‘I can’t find my sister, do you know where she is?’ he questioned, almost demanding that she gave him an answer.  
‘The last time I saw her she was walking around, scribbling something on a book.’ She replied, crossing her arms defensively.  
‘And when was that?’ he pressed.  
‘Two days ago.’  
It took a second for the information to correctly register in his brain.  
‘You haven’t seen her in two days and you didn’t think to look for her? Aren’t you supposed to keep tabs on your people?’ he was barely keeping it together, his voice trembling with the effort.  
‘She’s an adult, what she does with her time is none of my business.’  
 _Oh, of course it isn’t! it’s not like she’s useful to you or anything!  
_ ‘You know what? Never mind. I’ll find her by myself.’ He scoffed and walked away.  
Why in the name of Andraste’s flaming ass did they have a Spymaster if she wasn’t going to do her job properly, uh?  
 __Ugh, I just hope Calli’s fine , he though, dread knotting in his stomach.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nothing to say here, move along~  
> Next up: What the hell happened to Callisto?   
> See you all in 2016!
> 
> PS: Please do keep in mind that I'm basing Antiva on my vision of it and on the knowledge that it was shaped after my own country (Italy) and Spain.


	4. CHAPTER 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a little shorter than usual, but I preferred to leave this on its own, rather than put it with the rest.   
> It's important to see what's happening to Callisto, and if you are confused, worry not.   
> I'm making things vague to leave some mistery, obvs ahahah

‘Ok, maybe I should have thought this through a bit better…’ Callisto trailed off as she attentively watched the patrolling guards.  
The sun had gone down hours ago and the only light was provided by the Breach. It was oddly beautiful to admire during the night, not so blinding as it was during the day. At least, when it was dark, she could gaze up at it without the fear of going blind. Her eyesight had never been perfect, and she had obviously lied to Solas when she’d told him that her health was untouched by the changes.  
Since she’d woken up almost two weeks ago, she’d notice a subtle worsening, but nothing she couldn’t handle. The contours were only a bit smudged here and there…  
‘Not the time for random strings of thoughts, focus!’ she chided to herself, trying to bring her mind back to the task at hand.  
She needed to slip out of Haven unnoticed, but she had underestimated the number of guards that would be watching the gates and the escape routes. During the day it was hard to make an accurate guess about the numbers, too many people moved around the village, and many were soldiers or scouts off to do some business, mixing with the actual guards on duty. And she most certainly couldn’t just go up to the Commander and ask him how many and where exactly the guards were supposed to be…  
‘I guess I’ve burned my chances with him, he’d know I’m up to something…’ she reasoned, cursing herself for being blunt and directly ask for help.  
Going head first usually wasn’t her method, she didn’t like to ask for help on principle, and she found the whole sneaking around to be highly entertaining. Also, it didn’t require talking to people, which was a plus.  
Callisto didn’t exactly know _why_ she had done it this time around, maybe she’d thought that since her brother had been tagged as the ‘Herald of Andraste’, she could impose some sort of authority in his place too…  
Obviously she’d been wrong.  
Not only the Commander had refused to spare even one of his men, he had downright defined her request as insane and dangerous.  
 _Well thank you very much, you brainwashed chantry candy-boy!_ She huffed, her eyes still focused on the soldiers standing guard.  
There was no time to brood over her defeat, though.  
If she wanted to go, it was now or never.  
Sister Leliana had probably caught her letter by now, which meant she would have eyes on her soon.  
She took one last deep breath and made her way to the gates, as nonchalantly as she could manage.  Her heart was beating at an alarming rate, anxiety was clutching at her stomach horribly, but her face was showing none of it. Years of leaving with this condition had made her quite good at hiding it. Which didn’t mean she didn’t feel like throwing up at any given moment, that is.  
As she walked down the stairs, the two men posted gave her a nod to acknowledge her presence, which she reciprocated with a smile.  
 _Yup, I’m absolutely not suspicious at all!_ She thought, moving past them and through the still open gate.  
Once outside, she allowed her lungs to breathe again.  
Part one was down, now there was all the rest to go.  
Trying not to look _too much_ obvious, she looked around.  
There was just a few people outside, most were soldiers going back on forth through their tents, there was no sign of the Commander.  
He probably was one of the few people who would know her on sight, which gave her the advantage of anonymity if she got caught at some point.  
‘I admit it would be quite suspicious if they caught me though. The survivor that sneaks out in the middle of the night to go check on the breach by herself…’ she thought out loud.  
 _Yeah, it doesn’t sound good.  
_ As she neared the smithy, Callisto started to pick up her pace, bringing the hood over her face. Hoods were a must when one wanted to sneak around, even though they didn’t help the whole _what-are-you-talking-about-I-am-absolutely-not-suspicious-at-all-excuse-you_ vibe she wanted to give off.  
The trebuchet came in to view and, finally, just behind, laid the path to her objective.

‘Ok, I did not remember this much of a trek to get here!’ she complained loudly to no one but herself. The wind had picked up slightly as she climbed up the path, the greenish light just enough for her to see where to put her feet safely.  
The silence was almost as overwhelming as a crowd, and Callisto talked to herself to fill the void. Well, in this case. She was _always_ talking to herself, she found it useful to process her thoughts, though people usually regarded her with strange looks when she did it in public.  
After another particularly steep set of stairs, the Breach finally came into view.  
It hummed and shifted, creating amazing light tricks that took her breath away.  
How could something so beautiful be the bearer of so much destruction was beyond her.  
She took a moment to stop and write down what she was feeling, taking the wooden board she had harassed the Quartermaster for (not that she minded, Threnn was a bit of a bitch…) and quietly scribbling on the parchment.  
A paragraph and a quick sketch were enough for the moment.  
Cautiously and extremely aware of her surroundings, she proceeded towards what was left of the entrance of the Temple.  
What she remembered to be a magnificent sight, was reduced to ashes and charred bodies, petrified in horrendous poses of pain and despair.  
Callisto tried her best to ignore both the corpses and the smell, but eventually had to stop and empty the contents of her stomach on the ground.  
With nothing more to retch, she was left with only a sting odor in her nose and a constant feeling of nausea.  
But she steeled herself and went on nonetheless.  
This had to be done, one way or another, and she would not yield, not even if faced with so much death.  
Step after step she made her way inside, or what little was left of it.  
Once again she took her papers and noted her surroundings, how nothing more than a few stones remained standing and all that was left was what she supposed to be the infamous red lyrium sticking out of the ground and the walls.  
It was the first time she saw it, though she had read quite few researches coming out of the Marches about it. Even without magic in her blood she could hear it sing, murmuring a song long forgotten than begged to be in her veins. It felt strange, _very_ strange when she took notice of it. Was it so strong a presence that even she, that had nothing to do with magic, could hear it? The thought of such power made her uneasy.  
A shiver run through her whole body, a warning to steer away from the contaminated crystal. A warning that she heeded wholeheartedly.  
Watching her steps cautiously, she finally arrived where she wanted to be.  
There it was, up high, the majestic horror that was the Breach!  
It was absolutely stunning to look at, but something was wrong.  
It _felt_ wrong.  
The Breach was _talking_ to her?!  
It whispered sweet words at her ear, lolling her senses, hugging her body, urging her to move forward.  
Callisto was feeling faint, a voice was telling her to _just let go_ , to be finally free…  
She made a step.  
Then another.  
At some point the light increased, and her head started pounding endlessly. The pain was so strong! Too much to bear!  
 _Let it go...  
_ The voice whispered softly.  
 _There will be no more pain…  
_ It said, trying to lure her in.  
 _You will be free.  
_ Why was it so alluring?  
 _Come._  
One more step and the green light engulfed her body.  
She was floating.  
There, in the blinding white, she could feel the pain no more. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go!   
> Now, the next ch is already half way through more or less, so you won't be left hanging for long!  
> Also, for any possible reader of my other story, Undercover, a quick headsup: the story is momentarely on hold due to plot-thinking process, it will resume shortly!


	5. CHAPTER 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm terribly sorry for the huge delay, but lately I could not bring myself to write anything at all...  
> but at any rate, I hope to be back on track with this, so enjoy!
> 
> TRANSLATIONS:  
> I miei/tuoi occhi! - My/your eyes!

'She was... _floating_.' Cullen repeated for the third time in two minutes, and was rewarded with the most menacing glare Dani could muster.

'Yes Commander, she was _floating_.' He bit out in between gritted teeth. If they were going to ask it one more time, heads would start to roll. He most certainly was the least experienced of the warriors in the room, but the effect of surprise would give him some advantage.

'And how exactly did you manage to... _get her down?'_ Leliana asked tentatively, regarding him with one certainly doubtful glance.

'I called out to her, wiggled my hand at the breach. Eventually she snapped out of it.' Dani explained, not sure himself about the details.

And the confused faces around him just told him he wasn't the only one.

'Don't look at me like that. Talk to Solas if you need more _fade talk_ , I barely understand what I do with this thing.' He mumbled, raising the incriminated hand in front of his face.

'We certainly will.'

Dani flinched.

He was starting to get tired of Leliana's attitude; she acted so high and mighty on her Spymaster horse, and the one time she had to do her damn job properly, she screwed up because she didn't care.

_Wonderful_.

A vein started galloping at the base of his neck, irritation high in his blood.

'Well, the most important thing as of now is that Mistress Salieri is fine. The Breach seems to be unaffected by _whatever happened,_ and is as it were.' The lady Ambassador chimed in, soothing the tension in the air.

Cullen nodded in agreement to his fellow adviser's statement.

'Not like you care.' Dani scoffed at her words.

Callisto might be fine for now, but she certainly wasn't the moment he caught her limp body from falling on the hard ground only hours ago.

_< <I miei occhi! Dani, i miei occhi!>> she screams as her brother holds her tight to his chest._

_< <Calli calm down! Everything is fine now!>> he tries to reassure her, even though she's now furiously trying to claw at her eyes. _

_< < I can't see Dani! Everything is dark!>> she seethes, her voice a desperate and frightened hiss. _

 

From there Dani could only marginally remember Solas casting a sleeping spell on her; the trip back to the village was all a blur.

'Is there something you wish to share, _Herald_?'

There it was, that mockery of a title that only managed to make his blood boil.

'Yes. Yes there is. I would gladly like to know why, in Andraste's name, _you_ , of all people couldn't avoid this. Aren't you suppose to be the Spymaster? Uh? And so what is your people doing if they can't even notice a clumsy woman who, I should add, was a suspect of mass murder, sneak out suspiciously in the middle of the night?'

Leliana absorbed his words without batting an eyelash. Her face was a mask deprived of all feelings and reactions. She looked extremely pissed, if her clenched fists were anything to go by, but Dani was ready to stand his ground.

'And what makes you think that I didn't know?' Was her reply, her accent sticking out more than usual in her seething rage.

Dani frowned.

'Are you really telling me that you knew and did nothing about it?! What kind of irresponsible freak are you?!' He shouted at her, his anger flowing out of his mouth without restraints.

'There are more important matters at hand than-'

_'My sister_ is not a _matter,_ Milady _._ She is a person, and just because she is not useful to any of you in the field, she doesn't deserve to be discarded. She's knows more languages than all of us put together, she knows a great deal about Thedas' history and apparently has a knack for eluding spies.' Dani said, a finger pointed right into the woman's face, defying.

Callisto was certainly way too impulsive at times, but she was damn resourceful. To let her talents go to waste in indifference was idiocy and only fueled her boredom, which never led to anything good.

'Your point being?' Leliana asked again, a foot patting on the floor to show her shortening patience.

'Find something for her to do at this damn War Table. Either she's in, or we are both out.' He clarified, pointing at the table to mark his words.

Dani exchanged a long glance with the three advisers before turning around and heading for the door.

'Now if you'll excuse me, I'll go see if my sister is ok. Let me know when you decide to pull your heads out your asses.'

A false polite nod and he was gone, the heavy door shutting with force at his exit.

 

Pain was the first thing that reached her in her sleep. It was subtle at first, a quiet little snake making its way to its pray... Then it bit, and a wave of white run through her whole body.

It pulsed with a steadily increasing rhythm, spreading from her eyes outward.

Beads of sweat formed on her skin, and she started thrashing in the sheets, catching her healer attention.

With a quick flick of his wrist, Solas removed the last strand of the sleeping spell, helping her inevitable awakening.

Suddenly, as if someone had poured a bucket of icy water on her head, Callisto gasped for hair, jumping up to a seated position.

She was breathing heavily, her heart racing and her head pounding.

Where was she?

The last thing she remembered was Dani telling her to calm down...

But why could she only remember his voice? Where was his face in that memory?

_My eyes! I-I couldn't see!_

Panic started to rose in her stomach as she tried to open her eyes to no avail.

All she could see was a pitch black darkness...

'Calm yourself. Your eyes are simply bandaged.' Came Solas soothing voice from somewhere near her.

'Solas?' She shyly called out, needing to know he was truly there.

'I am here.' He replied, stealing a sigh of relief from her lips.

Callisto stayed silent for a bit, trying to recall what exactly had gone wrong...

'Can you tell me what happened?' She asked after a while of fruitless thinking.

'I do not know the details of your... _escape_ , but it seems that the Breach influences you more than I had originally predicted. When your brother and I found you, you were floating under the it, wrapped in its light. It was as if you were stuck somewhere midway between the Fade and the waking world... It was _fascinating._ Though I fear it might have had repercussions on your well being, _this time_.'

_Sweet Andraste, this is torture!_  

Callisto thought as the mage kept on talking.

Not exactly the best of times to start fantasize on the apostate voice, Calli.

‘Actually…I haven’t been truthful with you. My eyesight has never been good in the first place; when I was younger I used to apply a salve that some kind of healer had prescribed to me, but it turned out that she was just a fraud, hence my sight kept deteriorating. Add to it countless nights spent reading at candle light and an explosion that turned my eyes green, and draw your conclusions’ she confessed, grateful that she couldn’t see the disappointment on his face.

Solas sighed.

‘As a healer I cannot condone this kind of omission; without all the information I won’t be able to offer a proper cure. But I do understand your reserves. I just hope you will let me help you now.’ His tone wasn’t as much reproachful as she would have expected, he just seemed…sad?

‘I promise I won’t lie anymore. Ir abelas, Hahren’ she replied, bowing her head down as a sign of apology and respect.

Solas was again taken a bit aback by hearing a shem speak his language, but the idea did not disgust him like it could have once. Instead, he found it extremely interesting.

He noted to himself to question her about this particular knowledge of hers.

‘At any rate, we should check if your eyes have been further impaired by your…episode’ Solas went immediately back to business.

He moved away from the bed and recovered a couple vials that he had prepared on the table, then returned to her side and guided one in her hand.

‘Drink this. It’s a healing draught’ he explained.

Callisto nodded and carefully brought the vial to her lips, dipping it down right away. Elfroot immediately swirled around her tongue and down her throat, leaving behind a somewhat sweet and refreshing taste the whole way down.

‘How are you feeling?’

She hesitated a bit, quietly considering her body response to the potion before she replied.

‘I think I’m ok…’

‘Good. If you are ready, I want to remove the bandages.’                                  

The girl did not trust her voice to remain steady as a pang of fear and anxiety curled around her throat; instead, she simply nodded her agreement.

The mage did not speak again, but she felt him move towards her, she felt the heat of his body near her, and she turned towards it before he could instruct her to do so.

Solas’ hands moved with clinical precision, rounding her head to take the end of the dressing that curled around her eyes. A firm tug and the knot came undone.

Slowly, he started unwrapping them, until none remained between her eyes and the truth.

Will her eyesight be alright?

Had it deteriorated because of her _accident_ with the Breach?

Or worse, will she be able to see _at all_?  

Solas took a deep breath and waited.

Callisto, on her hand, was trying hard to keep her breathing pattern in check. The last thing she wanted was a panic attack before she even knew what the situation was. Once she opened her eyes, if things had gone badly, _then_ she would allow herself to have one. Or several, depending on the severity.

After some more seconds of doubts and faltering, she finally mustered the courage to open her eyes.

At first, all she saw were white shadows, dancing each in front of another, confusing, faltering, disappearing, causing her to shut them instantly.

_Breath Calli, you can do this_ she told herself as she readied to try again.

A deep breath and she opened them once more, more cautiously and slowly this time, giving them time to adjust to the light.

Finally the hazy mist began to disappear and Callisto started to make out the outline of the room she was in. It seemed a small cabin, she could see the entrance and the door from where she was seated on the bed. The scarce furniture looked somehow familiar, and she guessed that that was probably _her_ cabin.

She turned around slightly, the covers brushing over her legs, and Solas came in to view. He was standing next to her bed, back straight and arms crossed behind it, and was watching her very attentively, with the clinical eye of a healer, Callisto noticed.

A spark of something danced through his gray eyes when she fully turned towards him and their eyes found each other.

‘It seems you still retain your ability to see. – he concluded, observing her reaction -  Good. How are you faring?’ he then added, a line of concern creasing his brow in spite of his relief.

‘I…am not sure..’ she trailed off, taking some time to adjust to what she was actually experiencing at the moment. The contours were all sharp defined, colors seemed as bright as she’d never seen them and for a second she thought she could see warp and weft of Solas’ tunic.

‘Tell me what you see’ he prodded her gently, concern and curiosity composing his tone in equal parts.

‘This is…it should be impossible. My eyes, I- I can see every little detail! Everything’s so…so clear!’ her eyes darted from the man, to the room, and then back to his own, a multitude of questions crowding her mind and face.

‘How? I thought my eyes were deteriorating, such improvement is-‘ Calli was cut off mid sentence as the door to the cabin suddenly opened to let in a visitor.

The man that had just entered muttered some obscenity under his breath about the snow, and Callisto knew it was Dani even before she turned to look at him.

A fresh wave of relief washed over her as she realized that her brother was there, well and alive, in front of her eyes, and she could see him like she never had before.

He was tall, his body covered in clothes that were new to her, but that hugged his form perfectly, showing off his lean figure and muscles. His hair was all ruffled up, strands sticking out everywhere were they had escaped the tight confinement of the small braid he was used to tie them into. When she was able to see his face, she noted with a bittersweet feeling that he was still the same but not. His brown eyes that had always matched hers were tired, and the dark circles under them were a clear enough tell for how many hours of sleep he had lost. His sharp cheekbones were a little bit sharper, and a fresh scar adorned the right one just a few inches from his nose.

His face lit up when he noticed she was up and awake, but immediately froze in semi-horror when he caught sight of her face.

Callisto watched him approach in mild confusion, his eyes not leaving hers even when he spoke out to their companion.

‘Solas, tell me I’m not imagining this…’ he said, barely sparing the mage a glance as if he was incapable of looking away from his sister’s face.

‘You are not’ was Solas simple reply.

Silence fell on the room, and Callisto could start to feel the prickling touch of anxiety clutching her stomach.

‘Dani, you are freaking me out. Again.’

It was the second time he had shown her such expression, and the last one it was because her eyes had turned green.

‘Calli, I tuoi occhi-‘ as if on cue, he was cut off too as the door once again sprang open, this time with a little more violence, to allow access to a very determined-looking Cassandra.

The Seeker swept the room with a glance, a habit from her service days she had never lost, and assessed the situation quickly. She was ready to speak a second later, but her eyes landed on Callisto.

‘Why are her eyes glowing? What happened?!’ she half yelled, half demanded.

Callisto first heard Solas sigh with something akin to displeasure, then saw her brother cringed expression, and then finally registered the words that had just been spoken by the very blunt woman.

‘…glowing…’ Callisto repeated in a whisper, over and over, until she could bring the pieces of the puzzle together.

‘My eyes are glowing’ she said. Her voice as neutral as it could have been. It wasn’t a question, not even an accusation. It was a pure, disbelieved, statement.

‘Yes, they are’ Solas said, his voice soothing.

‘Why?’

‘You and your brother bear the marks the same way the sky does. When he managed to stop the Breach from growing, his mark stopped spreading and stabilized. You did not come directly in contact with it, and you said your sight was deteriorating, so it’s highly probable that when you… _made contact_ , your eyes acted much the same way the mark on your brother’s hand did.’

His explanation was thought through and logical, and Callisto could not find a reason to start panicking over the discovery that her eyes were fucking glowing.

‘If their marks are the same, does this mean she could close rifts as well?’ Cassandra’s voice startled them all out of their reverie, shifting the attention in the room.

Dani clenched his marked hand in a fist, not particularly pleased at the idea of putting his twin sister in danger.

Yes, he had been the one to suggest she was involved in the Inquisition’s affairs, but Callisto was no fighter, she could not be sent in the field. Not without training. Maybe not at all, if he could help it.

‘It is a possibility, but a dangerous one to be tested, for sure’ the mage answered, and Dani could not agree more.

‘But if she can, we could use the help!’ The Seeker rebuked, always the pragmatic one.

‘I think this is neither the time nor the place to discuss this, Seeker. My sister should rest, for the time being’ Dani intervened, not keen on continuing the conversation. ‘Were you looking for me?’ he then inquired, seeing that she had barged in without really explaining why she was there in the first place.

‘Ah yes. Leliana’s raven just arrived. It seems the Clerics are ready to meet us. If you could join us in the war room, we can start our preparations’ she reported.

Dani gave her a pointed look that Callisto could not quite place, but she translated it as an accusatory one.

‘Both of you’ the Seeker added, then nodded and left the room.

Once she was gone, Dani let go of a sigh and plodded down next to her on the bed.

‘Why does she want me along as well?’ she asked, a bit wary.

They probably wanted to yell at her for what she had done.

Maker, she was in trouble wasn’t she?

She admitted to herself that going up to the Temple by herself hadn’t been the brightest of ideas, but surely she did not deserve to be punished _that_ harshly…right?

‘I might have… _coerced_ the leaders of the Inquisition in letting you work with them…’ he said, and he could not have been more vague than that.

Callisto paled.

‘You might have done _what_?’ she almost yelled, torn between disbelief and anger.

‘Come on Calli! We both know you are a resource than we can’t afford to waste! And if we really must work with the Inquisition, then we do this together, as always.’

The determination in his voice was admirable, and so were his words.

‘When you put it like that…’ she could not say no to him.

‘Let us hope that your skills of persuasions are as effective as you think they are’ Solas commented, the angle of his mouth turned up in mild amusement.

‘Indeed.’


	6. CHAPTER SIX

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back!   
> This time with a real update!   
> Things start to move on, finally
> 
> TRANSLATIONS:  
> Senti da che pulpito viene la predica! - Look who's talking!

The “War Room” was far less impressive than Callisto had expected. It was not, in fact, a huge room hidden in some unknown part of the Chantry, to which only the heads of the Inquisition had access, but only the room at the far end of the building.

Inside, three quarters of the space was occupied by a large wooden table over which stood a map of Thedas marked in different symbols and pins that probably indicated the missions that were undergoing or still needed to be addressed.

At any rate, her imagination was left dry and wounded by the simplicity of it.

Not impressive in the least.

Dani caught his sister disappointed stare and gave her pointed look.

‘Behave’ was all he said, low enough that only she could hear him.

Once inside, the two let the door close behind them.

‘Ah, Herald!’ Josephine greeted the man with a polite bow of her head, the previous encounter as if already forgotten.

‘Mistress Salieri, it’s a pleasure to see you well’ she added with a smile. Smile that immediately faltered when she took notice of the odd glowing of her green eyes.

Cassandra had reported to them what she had witnessed of the girl, but nothing could have prepared her to what she was seeing.

The girl was standing tall next to her brother, her arms crossed and back straight, a mask of disappointment drawn on her face as she seemed to analyze each and every detail of the room she was in. The curious eyes that she had previously observed doing the same thing in her office, were glowing brightly in the dim light of the war room, the green so radiant that it almost hid her pupils.

The vision all together was… _unsettling_.

‘Please, Callisto is enough’ she heard the girl say, and when she looked back at her in her entirety, she noticed her stance was slightly more relaxed and her lips were adorned with the shadow of a smile.

‘As you wish, Milady’ and she didn’t get to say more as Dani cut in, decided to get to the heart of the matter.

‘I was told you had news about the Clerics’ he said drily, addressing Leliana with a straight-to-business tone.

‘That is correct. My agents in the city reported that they are gathering in Val Royox as we speak. I believe it’s time for you to go address them’ she replied in a similar way, giving him a pointed glare.

Callisto frowned.

The tension in the room seemed to be especially focused between her brother and the Spymaster, which made her wonder what that was all about.

Sure, Leliana hadn’t been the picture of hospitality with her either, but this was all out hostility. She mentally made a note to ask Dani about it.

‘I’m not sure that sending the Herald to the Capital is a wise idea, why should we care about what the Chantry says?’ the Commander commented, obviously annoyed at the idea of appealing to a bunch of old women battling for power.

‘It’s more of making them _believe_ we care, I think’ Callisto thought out loud, her eyes fixed on the map were a golden mark rested over the name of the Orlesian city.

‘I agree. For now, it’s as Mother Giselle said: we just need _some_ of them to doubt, not to pledge our allegiance to the Chantry’ the Spymaster said, stunning everyone with just those two words.

Had she really agreed with her so quickly?

Callisto shook her head. No, it wasn’t because she has spoken said words, it was the concept she shared.

‘The it is decided. We’ll leave for Val Royeaux at first lights’ Cassandra said, somehow finalizing the decision.

'Well, I've always wanted to visit the capital. This should be good' Callisto commented. Accompanying Dani to Val Royeaux did not require fighting skills, hence she could look forward to the trip. And, since no one of the advisors seemed to be against it...

'I don't recall allowing you to go'  Leliana intervened, momentarily putting a halt to her enthusiasm.

Callisto frowned, and for a second she thought she felt her eyes burn a little brighter.

Then indignation flared her up.

'I don't recall you telling me to stay either, Lady Spymaster. The exact same way I don't recall you telling me _anything_ during the past weeks. Alas, you are not my mother, and I shall do as I please, whatever you _allow_ it or not' she deadpanned, arms tight on her chest. She was ready to stand her ground, even though she was aware that antagonizing the Nightingale was probably not the smartest of moves.

Leliana opened her mouth to reply, but Dani took a step to his right, coming to stand shoulder to shoulder with his twin, entering her line of sight, and gave her a stern look.

'I thought we talked about this' he just said, his body unconsciously mimicking his sister's passive-aggressive pose.

' _You_ yelled about it, _we_ haven't taken a decision yet' the Spymaster retorted.

He seemed torn for a moment, realizing that perhaps he had exaggerated in his previous burst of temper. He did make a scene, but when Callisto's safety was on the line he could not seem to think straight. Still, he stood by his words.

'I understand you will have to discuss this thoroughly, but if it's all the same to you I'd prefer to have her along. This way she'll be out of your way, and I can make sure she stays out of trouble' he said, and immediately felt the prickling sensation of eyes boring into his skull. When he turned around, his sister was scowling at him with an intensity that could have rivaled the Breach's.

'I'm not a child that needs to be babysat, Dani. I understand I've been reckless in my endeavor, but if I am to come with you, I'd appreciate you stopped treating me as such.'

Her brother gave her a sharp look, and she caught the meaning behind it all too well.

Someone else though was not as easily convinced, it appeared.

'You proclaim you are not a child anymore, yet both your actions and your behavior suggest the opposite' Leliana said, her pit of accusations seemingly bottomless.

From her right, Calli heard more then saw Cassandra scowl. The seeker was probably fed up with their petty argument, but if Callisto proud herself of one thing, it was her stubbornness. She was going to have the last word.

'Senti da che pulpito viene la predica! - she scoffed, her mind defaulting back to her native tongue almost unconsciously - Last time I checked, you were still keeping up this pointless argument of yours.'

Leliana's eyes turned to ice as she glared at her with a murderous look. If looks could kill, Callisto would be bleeding to death.

'At least _I_ am speaking plainly' she glowered.

So what? Now knowledge was a low blow?

_I'll show you what a low blow is._

'Oh, excuse me! Maybe if you'd spent less time killing people for entertainment and pointlessly reading the Chant, you'd actually have had the time to read a book and _learn something_!' The words left her mouth in a flurry of blows before her mind could double check on their safety.

But _of course_ they weren't safe.

Leliana seemed this close at jumping at her throat, she could feel it in the air and read it in her body. But she wasn't finished yet.

'Now if you'll excuse me, I have a trip to prepare for' she announced.

She gave a bow much in the same mocking fashion her brother had just some time earlier, and marched out of the "War Room" with her head held high.

Once the door was shut behind her, everyone else left inside let go of a breath.

Cullen breathed deeply, finally able to do so without choking on the tension that had filled the room up until that moment.

'Well...she surely is _something_...' He trailed off, not daring to glance at his side to the Spymaster.

Leliana was standing with her back straight, muscles tense and rigid, hands clasped behind it, and stare lost in the map. Her lips were stretched thin and her eyes screamed murder.

Callisto was definitely going to see the repercussions of the stunt she had just pulled at her expenses.

 

The next morning, Dani rose well before dawn. In the past weeks spent on the road he had picked up the unhealthy habit of raising before the sun, something that his older self would have despised him for. But after the first few times of trying to resist Cassandra’s stubbornness, he had just given up to the Seeker, who allegedly wanted to “test his skills more” before heading into proper battle.

And so the habit had stuck.

He sighed as he moved through the deserted town, taking the long way around to stretch his limbs before heading to the training ground to further hone his skills. It never hurt to stay sharp.

As he walked past Varric’s tent – he had no doubt the dwarf was still snoring soundly – and made his way up toward the Chantry, a soft mumbling caught his attention. It was so low he wouldn’t have caught it unless the whole town hadn’t been coated in thick silence. The more he got close, the clearer the words got, and soon Dani could recognize the words that were being spoken: someone was praying. He did not want to disrupt whoever was so deep in their personal space, but he was already at the center of the small clearing, turning back now would just feel stupid. Also, he was curios. The voice carried a melody in the way each word followed the other, almost as if they were supposed to be sang rather than spoken, and Dani thought it extremely familiar, if not a bit odd. He wasn’t certainly used to hear that soft tone from the owner of the voice, and when his eyes caught up with his brain, he realized why.

Leliana was kneeling in a corner of her tent, eyes closed, lips moving, and hands clasped together in the universal gesture of prayer. Her body was rocking slightly as she recited the words she most certainly knew by heart, and suddenly Dani felt extremely conscious of his prying. He was standing there, unable to tear his eyes away, staring and invading Leliana’s privacy.

When he decided to step away, leaving the woman to herself, the chanting stopped.

‘You there! You speak for Andraste do you not? Then tell me, why did the Maker see fit to toy with us in such manner?’ Leliana called back to him, her voice high enough to carry loudly in the silence.

At her words, Dani’s shoulders sagged.

Being a symbol of hope for the people, that he could understand and accept, but he’d never claim to be Andraste’s prophet. He didn’t feel a prophet of nothing, if not loss and destruction.

The Mark on his hand reacted to his dark feelings, sparking under his glove and sending a jolt of pain through his whole body.

It almost seemed like it didn’t approve of him thinking badly of itself.

What an odd thought.

‘I’m afraid I speak for no one but myself, Sister. Whatever the Maker has in mind for us, He hasn’t revealed it to me’ he answered softly, turning back to face her.

‘But you do believe Has a plan’ she stated more than asked.

Dani nodded.

‘And what do you think this plan is?’ she asked as she finally stood up and made a step out of the tent, towards him.

‘I do not know. I only can imagine that it varies depending on the person’ he said. In truth, he didn’t have the smallest clue about the Maker’s plan for His people, and the conversation was starting to get a bit too much rhetorical for him. He’d never appreciated Chantry rhetoric. He had never appreciated the Chantry, to begin with.

Leliana kept silent for a moment, looking intently at him, as if to confirm that, indeed, he did not know of the Maker’s plans for His children.

‘I thought you didn’t care about the Maker or Andraste’ she finally pointed out.

Dani found himself sighing. He had lost count of how many times he had had to explain this through the years. Lucky for him, there was at least one person that understood him and shared his beliefs.

He motioned the Sister to walk with him – to which she complied with no hesitation, he noted – and he began to tidy up his thoughts regarding the matter.

‘I am aware that my refusal of the title the people have given me and what I just told you contradicts one another, but you must understand this: I do believe the Maker – or whatever one wants to call it – exists, guiding our lives in one way or another, and I also believe that Andraste did what she did, though I do not agree with the whole “bride of the Maker” statement. She was a mortal woman capable of great things,  but she made a fundamental mistake. The Chantry is the ruin of your faith, my Lady. I won’t deny that there are those who only have the general welfare of the people in mind, or others that are mainly focused on recovering and preserving history – as Genitvi did – but the rest? All I see are power-hungry clerics that use the Chantry to fuel fear and then feed upon those frightened souls. I do not know in what circles Lady Josephine used to dwell, but where I grew up, the Chantry is just another example of corruption. So forgive me if I do not hold too much faith in it. Though, I’m sure, you came across a lot of people like that in your… _line of work_ , am I mistaken?’ he finished, flashing her a small smile as they walked through the gates of the town.

Leliana was secretly stunned by his words. Dani was still pretty young, but his opinion was so strong and well thought that must have been a product of countless reflections and discussions. And, however strong her faith was, she couldn’t disagree completely with him, which gave her a bit of a surprise.

She had always thought herself sure of her beliefs, to be so shaken after all she’d seen and learnt in the past ten years was a novelty.

‘I do see your point, yes. – she paused – I’m sorry I took it out on you, I should be able to manage my problems by myself. I apologize’ she claimed calmly, though Dani could see her usual iciness creep back in her eyes and voice and found himself disappointed. He found he much preferred her when she was heated up instead of ruthlessly cold, as if nothing could in fact touch her.

‘No, it’s me who has to apologize my Lady. Both for myself and my sister’s behavior. We…went through a lot together, and more times than not we can _feel_ each other, know when the other is distressed or in danger, and when that happens I… - he stopped and shuddered, a chill suddenly running through him – We’ve been told that the bond we share, being twins, involves a high degree of sensibility when it comes to each other. I’d be lost if something were to happen to Callisto. When I found out that she had gone to the breach by herself…I was not in my right mind and said harsh things. And Callisto well, she has a particularly strong sense of freedom, as you may have noticed. She does not appreciate being told what to do, never has and probably never will’ he admitted, sheepishly rubbing his neck, a lopsided grin on his lips.

He knew that if this particular part of the conversation was ever to reach Callisto’s ears he would pay for it, hard. As he had stated, she was _extremely_ fond of her freewill, and what he had just done, apologize on her behalf when he knew she probably wasn’t sorry in the least? She’d hate it.

To his surprise, Leliana answered with a smile of her own. It was odd to see her features lighten and her eyes glisten with mirth, she almost seemed another person entirely.

Dani felt his pulse pick up and had to command his eyes away from the Spymaster’s smiling face.

He liked her smile.

He liked it very much.

**Author's Note:**

> Got ideas, prompts, questions, want to hear about upcoming updates, see my related art, or comment privately? Come check me out at http://fallingt-writinblog.tumblr.com/


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